Conscious Choice: Ski, Hike, Sled

January 2002

Ski, Hike, Sled

by Claudia Lenart, James Faber, Julie Banashak

Kettle Moraine, Glacier’s Gift

Stand in an evergreen cathedral, a carpet of snow littered with pine needles beneath your feet, and take a deep breath of pure, fresh energy. Now glide off into a forest landscape created by glaciers.

Kettle Moraine State Forest, South Unit, is just ninety miles north of Chicago, less than two hours away. It offers outstanding scenery and more than thirty miles of groomed trails for classic Nordic skiing and ski skating.

The Wisconsin glacier moved through this area about 25,000 years ago during the Ice Age. Kettle Moraine is named after the kettles and moraines that were left when the glacier receded for the last time, some 10,000 years ago. As the glacier melted, the sand, silt, cobbles, and boulders were released and formed ridges called moraines. The kettles were formed when the ice flow stopped. Blocks of ice seperated from the glacier and were buried in debris. When the ice melted, the soil caved in forming a kettle. The kettles became lakes and as their waters drained they were transformed into swamps and marshes.

The landscape created by the glacier is sometimes rolling and often rugged. The glacier left a variety of rare and beautiful ecosystems as well, although many of them have been altered by farming and development. The winter landscape is punctuated by the deep green of the pine plantations, yet the eye will also appreciate the many hues of brown as the hardwood branches meander through a clear blue winter sky.

Kettle Moraine State Forest offers three distinct areas, with trails groomed for cross-country skiing. The Nordic Ski and Hiking Trail and the McMiller Ski Trail are open to both classic cross-country skiing and ski skating. The Scuppernong Trail is for classic skiers only.

The Nordic Ski and Hiking Trail is the southernmost trail and it’s just eight miles from the university town of Whitewater. It has five loops, from 2.5 miles to 9.2 miles, providing a nice opportunity for beginners to advanced skiers. Skiers may pass through open fields, pine plantations, and hardwood forests. Given all this route offers, it’s no surprise that the Nordic Trail is the busiest of the three areas.

Farther north is the McMiller ski area, which was developed as a training ground for competitive skiing. The trails are double wide and offer gently rolling topography that goes through a variety of vegetation, lots of hardwood forests, with ancient burr oaks, as well as some pine plantations.

The Scuppernong Ski-Hiking Trail is the furthest north and the least populated. There are three loops for intermediate to advanced skiers. The most advanced loop is described as a roller coaster ride. The pine plantations are extensive along this trail, but there are also southern hardwood forests.

Forest Superintendent Paul Sandgren says skiers are also welcome to bushwhack through other trails in the forest; however, they should be aware that ungroomed trails may be dangerous. He also wisely notes that skiers should never ski in areas beyond their abilities.

While the Kettle Moraine State Forest, Southern Unit, is an easy day’s drive there and back, there are bed and breakfasts and inns in the immediate vicinity. For those who truly want to experience the state forest, there’s winter camping available at the Ottawa Lake Campground. Really rugged types may want to hike up to the Ice Age trail and camp at one of three shelters. The Ice Age Trail is a 1,000-mile route that follows the end moraine of the Wisconsin Glacier.

On January 26, the forest is holding a candlelight ski event on the Nordic Trail, which would provide a rare opportunity to explore nature at night.

To get there, take I-94 north to Highway 20, go west to Route 12/67. From I-90, go north to I-43, northeast to Route 12, and north to Route 67. To get to the forest headquarters take Route 67 north to Route 59 and west to the office. Trail passes are $3 per person. Parking fee is $7.50 for non-residents.

Kettle Moraine Ski Conditions Hotline, 262-594-6202. Kettle Moraine State Forest, Southern Unit, 262-594-6200. LaGrange General Store, 262-495-8600, is the closest spot for lunch, with deli sandwiches including a large selection of vegetarian sandwiches. The store also offers ski rental and sells trail passes. — Claudia M. Lenart

Starved Rock State Park

Only ninety-four miles southwest of Chicago, somehow hidden among the vast farms of rural Illinois, is a place of seclusion and natural beauty. The State of Illinois acquired its 2,630 acres a little at a time, beginning with 280 acres of land acquired in 1911. And for almost one hundred years, it has offered both natural beauty and year-round accessibility, a boon to Chicagoans, other Illinoisans, and visitors from all over the United States.

Legend has it that sometime in the 1760s, the Ottawa chief known as Pontiac was murdered by a member of the Illiniwek tribe. The Potawatomi and Fox tribes, allies of the Ottawa, attacked the Illiniwek to avenge Pontiac’s death. The Illiniwek were said to have fled their village and taken shelter on top of a rock that is now called Devil’s Nose. Attacking forces surrounded the base of the rock, and the Illiniwek Indians starved to death.

There’s no written record of the incident, though excavations have uncovered both skeletons and weapons. In any case, the site has been called "Starved Rock" for at least 200 years. And despite its allegedly violent past, it offers the almost inexpressible serenity of near-wilderness. Well-preserved forests blanket the only cliffs and canyons to be found in Central Illinois; the Vermillion river cuts through them as if to declare that only water is stronger than rock. Waterfalls in summer and icefalls in winter lend dynamism to the scene.

For those who hope to salt their serenity with society and adventure, a lodge and conference center are close at hand, on top of a wooded bluff overlooking the Illinois river. The present day lodge was built by the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) during the 1930s out of white pine logs brought from Indiana. The CCC also built stairways, shelters, and bridges in the park.

The park has undergone many renovations since that time. About sixteen miles of well-marked hiking trails have been cleared, leading to the eighteen different canyons and rock formations that were formed during the glacial drifts. In 1981, the Illinois Young Adult Conservation Corps constructed the yellow pine platforms you see atop the rock, to slow its erosion and also allow for a stronger sense of security for visitors at the summit.

Beginning in 1986, renovations and additions were made at the historic lodge, which provides a variety of accommodations. There are forty-three guest rooms, twenty-nine hotel wing rooms, fourteen Pioneer cabin rooms, and eight Deluxe cabin rooms. Prices for the rooms begin at $80 per night. A campground is also available in the park.

Apart from sleeping quarters, the lodge offers a variety of activities throughout the year. Visitors can hike the trails, camp, fish the Illinois River, canoe, horseback ride at the Starved Rock Stables, rent bikes, golf at a nearby course, cross country ski, ice skate on one of the park’s parking lots, sled on the hill southwest of Devil’s Nose, or go white water rafting on the Vermillion River. For more information call 800-868-ROCK. — Research by Julie Banashak

Winter Fun at Swallow Cliff

Ready to escape the urban ambience of Chicago this winter for some outdoor fun? Put on warm clothes, load up the kids, and head south on I-55 to the forest preserves of southwest Cook County.

Set among the 10,000 acres of forest in Palos Township is Swallow Cliff Woods, an 800-acre forest preserve located at the southwest corner of Route 83 and U.S. 45 in Palos Park — just a forty-minute drive from Chicago.

The geologic history of the area dates back to glacial times when most of the hills, ponds, and sloughs were created from the melting of giant blocks of ice left by the last of the glaciers that pushed their way south during the last ice age. The Palos township area was settled mostly when the Illinois-Michigan Canal was completed in 1848, although there is archeological evidence that shows Indians, French explorers, soldiers, and traders were there in the 1700S.

In 1909, the Illinois General Assembly established the Forest Preserve District, and in 1916, 288 acres of the Palos Preserves were purchased for $90 an acre. Today the Palos Preserve consists of approximately 13,000 acres and is the largest and most diversified of Illinois’ Forest Preserve Districts.

Swallow Cliff is considered by many to be the gem of the Palos Preserves. Most people are probably familiar with the area for its mountain bike trails, which offer terrain to challenge even the most experienced riders. Unfortunately, due to severe damage caused by erosion and the hundreds of off-road riders who flocked there, most of the woodland trails are now off-limits to bikers. A project is currently underway to restore 2.65 miles of the damaged trails, but the area is still patrolled by the Forest Preserve District bike police. Riders caught on trails marked "no bikes" incur a $70 fine and a court appearance.

Swallow Cliff offers a number of other activities during the warmer months, including hiking and horseback riding, but in the colder months the area is transformed into a winter sports paradise.

The miles of trails are a haven for cross country skiing (permitted from dawn to dusk in most areas — except trails marked "Special Use"), and several shallow ponds in the area are safe for skaters when the ice permits. But the main attraction at Swallow Cliff is its six toboggan slides, 400 feet long, sending riders a total of 600 feet, the highest and longest slides in the Chicago area.

The slides are open from 10:00 am to 10:00 pm daily when weather conditions permit (slide surfaces require four inches of snow and a constant temperature of twenty degrees F. to maintain the ice covering). Toboggans can be rented with a deposit for $3 an hour and no reservations are necessary. Toboggan owners can use the slides following an inspection. All-day passes cost $1, and riders must be at least thirty-six inches tall. The area also features a warming shelter and heated restrooms.

The Illinois Forest Preserve District also operates toboggan slides at four other locations: Bemis Woods, Ogden Avenue west of Wolf Road (the only other location where toboggans may be rented); Dan Ryan Woods, 87th Street and Western Avenue; Deer Grove, Grove No. 5, north of Dundee Road and west of Quentins Road; and Jensen Slides, Devon Avenue, east of Milwaukee Avenue.

Call 800-870-3666 for more information about Swallow Cliff Woods or other Cook County Forest Preserves. — James Faber

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